Dhananjaya and tailenders assist Sri Lanka to 312
Lunch Sri Lanka 312 (Dhananjaya 122, Mathews 64, Abrar 3-68, Afridi 3-86, Naseem 3-90) vs Pakistan
It was extra a holding sample, much less a session as Pakistan bowled Sri Lanka out for 312, however not earlier than the latter had added a helpful 70 runs with the final 4 wickets this morning.
Over the course of a barely turgid morning session, Dhananjaya de Silva stood out. Having been stranded in a single day on 94, he was in no rush to grab on the three-figure mark, taking about half an hour to get to the mark with a whip in the direction of positive leg. Alongside Ramesh Mendis, who was providing doggedness however not many runs, Dhananjaya prioritized survival over fast run-scoring. It was an association Pakistan have been content material with because the spinners operated on autopilot whereas they awaited the brand new ball, and a slash from Ramesh off Abrar Ahmed quickly noticed the gritty partnership come to an finish.
Babar Azam known as up Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for an prolonged spell with the brand new ball. Afridi’s tempo was up and he discovered extra motion, but it surely was Naseem who ended up within the wickets, dismissing Prabath Jayasuriya with a brief supply the tailender received a feather to. And when Dhananjaya determined it was time to up the ante, he fell as quickly as he performed an attacking shot, a mistimed drive over covers caught brilliantly by a scampering Shan Masood. By then, although, he had scored 122, rescuing an innings that badly wanted salvaging after the primary session yesterday.
Sri Lanka’s Nos. 10 and 11 held Pakistan off for much longer than anticipated although, and scored runs whereas doing it. Kasun Rajitha and Vishwa Fernando added 29 runs for the final wicket on the stroke of lunch, guaranteeing Sri Lanka crossed 300, and maybe edging the session within the hosts’ favour.